Folding sled.



PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

P. A. JOHNSON.

FOLDING SLED.

APBLIGATION FILED FEB. 6. 1906.

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THE NORRIS PETERS cm, wAsmum-alv, n! c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 6, 1906- Serial No. 299,817-

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER A. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Sleds; andI do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in sleighs' andsleds; and themain object is to provide a sled that may be folded together or knockeddown and held in the folded posi tion during storage and transportation,the latter including not only transportation in shipment'of largenumbers, but also where, for instance, a single sled is carried by a person along any kind of pathway and then unfolded, loaded, and drawn withthe load on it over a proper road to the destination of the load, thisapplying also where dogs or other draft-animals are used. This and otherobjects I attain by the novel construction and arrangement of partsillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a topview, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, of my folding or knockdown sled.Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of one corner of the sled. Fig. 4 is a bottomview of the crossbar 9 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end view of the cross baruniting the front ends of the runners. Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of thecross-bar in Fig. 5 with a screw-rod added. Fig. 7 is a top view of thesled in its folded position with substantially all parts shown. Fig. 8is a side elevation of Fig. 7 with the screw-hooks in heads of runnersomitted. Fig. .9 is a bottom view of the main upper parts of the sledfolded ready to be inverted and secured upon the runners, as in Fig. 8.Fig. 10 is a detail top view of one of the metallic plates or stepssecured upon the runners for the support and fastening of the upperparts of the sled. Fig. 11 is a side or edge view of Fig. 10.

Referring to the drawings by referencenumerals, 1 1 are the two runnersof the sled. These have in the folded position of the sled their frontends secured l screw-rod 2, having an eye 3 to turn it by and togetherby a short 4 at its end screw-threads engaging in a nut 4, secured inone of the runner-heads, while a washer 5, secured in the otherrunner-head, meets the ring 3, the rod passing through the two heads.When the sled is set up or unfolded, this short rod is carried in twoeyebolts 6 6 upon the cross-bar 8 of the sled, the eyebolt 6 beingscrew-threaded to hold the threaded end of rod, while the runner-headsare secured together by a longer screw-rod 10, which bein inserted asshown in Figs. 1 and 2 holds t e mortises 11 of the heads firmly uponthe tenons 12 of the head crossbar 7, the rod passing through theeyebolts or staples 13 of the bar. Said bar has a central hole 14 orother means to which a rope may be fastened for draft-animals hitchedfor drawing the sled.

Upon each runner are secured two metallic plates 15, formed with shallowpockets 16, which steady both sides and the rear of the lower ends ofuprights 17. Said uprights have their upper ends formed with tenons 18,which when the sled is set up are inserted in mortises 19 in the crossframe-bars 8 and 9, and upon the latter are secured by pivots 20 thelongitudinal bars 21, which have their pivotholes 22 slotted to allowthe pivots to move toward the middle of the bar when the sled is folded,so that the framework will not be any longer than the runners whenfolded, as shown in Fig. 7.

The uprights 17 are braced in the upright position by the yoke-shapedrear braces 23, joined at 24, one upon the rear side of each post andhaving the lower end pivotally engaging at 25 the plate 15. They arefurther braced by being pivotally connected in pairs or as many uprightsas there are on one runner by a horizontal brace 26 and by thebrace-yoke 27, extending therefrom, being pivoted at 28 and engaging thescrew-hook 28*, sliding in the head of the runner and having a thumbnut29 forcing it forward and a tight nut 30 to prevent the thumb-nut fromgetting lost. Against transverse folding the uprights are braced bybeinginserted in the bars 8 and 9 and by having each anoblique brace 31,(best shown in Fig. 3,) pivoted at 32 to the crossbar and having a hole33, going upon a staple 34, secured in the upright, and a pivoted hook35, carried by the brace .and engaging the staple, so as to keep thebrace on it. When the sled is folded, said braces are placed with theirapertures 33 upon revoluble eyebolts 36 (see Fi 8) and retained there byturning the eyeboi with its eye out of line with or across the aperturein the brace.

While the braces are thus held their hooks are hooked into sta les 37 inthe runners, and thus hold the fol ed uppe'rparts of the sled securedupon the runners, as shown in Fig. 8, the parts being first folded, asin Fig. 9, where it will also be seen that a special brace-hook 38 ispivoted at 20 and engages a in to help hold the parts. together in foded position. When said hook is not in use, it is held secured below thebar 9 by engaging the pin 41 in said bar, as shown in In the foldedposition of the sled the rod 10 and bar 7 occupy the position shown inFig. 9, the rod being screwed into the same staple or eyebolt 6 thatreceives the end of the short i T placing first up rod in Fig. 1.

The rear ends of the runners are held together by a double hook 42,pivoted upon one runner and engaging with one of its hooks the pin 43 inthe other runner, and when the sled is set up the hook is held steady inits idle position by having its other hook firmly engaged with a in 44,fixed in the runner carrying the hoo Near the ends of the cross-bars 8and 9 I provide holes 46, serving as stick-pockets for insertion ofsuitable sticks (not shown) to helIp hold a bulky load on the sled.

n the present instance the braces 23 have their lower ends pivoted tothe runners by being passed into the groove 25 in the under side of theplate 15, and the pockets 16 are open at their front side, as theuprights are firmly braced against motion forward with the lower ends;but it is obvious that such and many other details maybe modifiedwithout diverging from the scope and spirit of my invention.

In using the sled the load is placed upon the bars 21, either directlyor indirectly, by

on the bars supporting means suitable for the articles to be auled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A sled comprising a pair of detachablyconnected runners, a detachablebar between the heads of the runners, a long screw-rod passed throughthe heads and adapted to draw the heads together against the ends of thebar, and a shorter screw-rod to take the place of the long one and holdthe heads close together when the bar is removed, and a hook securingthe rear ends of the runners together when the sled is folded, and meansfor holding the idle rod when the other rod is in use,

substantially as set forth.

ing their rear sides with the runner,

2. A sled havin its runners detachably secured together, oldablysecureduprights upon the runners, braces for holding the up rights set up, afoldable frame or platform mortised upon the ends of the uprights andbraces carried by the frame and adapted to be detachably secured in anoblique position to the uprights.

3. A sled comprising a pair of detachablyconnected runners, foldable urights secured upon the runners by links or races connectframedetachably mountedupon and braced to said u rights, a brace connectingtogether all uprig ts on each runner, a brace pivoted to the frontupright, and a screw-hook engaging said brace, said hook beingslidablyinserted in the head of the runner and rovided with an adjustment-nutfor stretcffing and releasing the brace.

4. A sled comprising a pair of detachablyconnected runners, foldable urights secured upon the runners by links or races connecting their rearsides with the runner, a folding frame detachably mounted upon andbraced to said u rights, a brace connecting together all uprig ts oneach runner, abrace pivoted to the front upright, and a screw-hookengaging said brace, said hook being slidably inserted in the head ofthe runner and rovided with an adjustment-nut for stretcffing andreleasing the brace, the oblique braces 31 arrangpd to resist sidepressure on the uprights, the ooks 35 pivoted to the braces and adaptedto engage staples 34 in the uprights when the sled is set up and thestaples 37 in the runners when the sled is folded; and revolubleeyebolts 36 for holding the braces in horizontal position when the sledis folded.

5. A folding sled having a detachableloadsupporting frame made up oftransverse bars and longitudinal bars pivoted thereon with slidablepivot-joints, the hook 38 for holding said frame in the folded position,and means for holding said hook out of the way when not in use,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. In a folding sled, the combination with two detachable runners, ofaframe-bar adapted to be inserted between and partly into the heads ofthe runners, staples or guides upon said bar, a screw-rod passingthrough the runner-heads and drawing the heads tightly against the endsof the bar, said rod being guided by the staples on the bar.

7. In a folding sled, the combination with the runners 1, of the plates15 secured thereon and having the pocket 16 and groove 25, a post orupright placed in each pocket and'a yoke-shaped brace adapted tostraddle the upright when folded, said brace being connected with thegrooved part of the plate, the brace-bar 26 connecting the uprights onthe same runner, the brace 27 pivotally connected a folding- With thefront end of the brace 26, the adjustable screw-hook in the runner-headadapted to engage the front end of the brace 27, all substantially asandfor the purposes set forth.

8. A sled having a detachable platform made up of transverse andlongitudinal bars or slats pivoted together at their crossings, so thatthey may by turning on the pivots be brought together and reduce thesize of the platform.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

PETER A. JOHNSON. Witnesses:

OSCAR E. JOHNSON, JAMES SMITH.

